The Hindu : Front Page : Halim: Taslima can’t hurt others’ sentiments

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 22, 2007
ePaper

Front Page

Front Page

Halim: Taslima can’t hurt others’ sentiments

Staff Reporter

KOLKATA: No person in a cosmopolitan society has the right to hurt the sentiments of a certain section in the name of intellectual freedom, West Bengal Assembly Speaker Hashim Abdul Halim said here on Friday, regarding the controversy surrounding Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen.

“As an intellectual you have the right to write… but you have no right to hurt other people’s sentiments,” he said, at an interactive session organised by the Calcutta Citizens’ Initiative. “Now she has deleted certain portions of her book that was earlier banned by the government…why didn’t she do this earlier?” he added.

Mr. Halim said that the West Bengal government had no reservations against her staying in the State. “But the Government of India is responsible for ensuring her stay in the country and renewing her visa,” he said, adding that the matter had to be sorted out between the Central government and Ms. Nasreen.

Denying that Ms. Nasreen had been ousted from the State or hounded out, Mr. Halim said she had “left the State of her own accord, as she felt insecure here.” He pointed out that the violent demonstrations against Ms. Nasreen had taken place at an area close to where she was staying, and there might have been “serious trouble” if the demonstrators knew where she stayed.

“She is here on a special condition,” Mr. Halim said, adding that both citizens and foreign nationals staying here would have to abide by the terms and conditions the country demanded of them.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page